Temperature-sensitive fluorescence decay kinetics of thioflavin T derivatives in glycerol

Possible use of Thioflavin T based fluorescent molecular rotors as temperature sensors was assessed in this work. Fluorescent properties of Thioflavin T and its derivative 6-Me-BTA-2C in 99% glycerol were studied using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy methods. For Thioflavin T in glycerol it has been found that temperature growth from 261 K to 353 K results in $\sim$ 3 orders of magnitude increase of non-radiative decay rate constant $k_{nr}$ for the excited state of the molecule. Fluorescence decay studies by time-correlated single photon counting method showed that fluorescence decay kinetics of Thioflavin T in glycerol can be used for temperature measurements in the range 260–290 K. For 6-Me-BTA-2C molecule the range of the maximal sensitivity was shifted to higher temperatures (280–320 K). The obtained results about fluorescent properties and decay kinetics of Thioflavin T based dyes in highly viscous media can be used to develop nanoscale temperature sensors.